The Price For Absolution
by LittlePiglet
Summary: There is an old saying that the use of black magic comes with consequences. This tale tells of the fate of two sisters, and a desperate journey for survival. AU - Rated for occasional foul language


I couldn't resist.. the pull was just too strong!

Damn you overactive imagination! What have you done to me?! _

~ cough cough ~

Hello! ^^ I may seem a little weird.. but I can assure you that it's only true when I'm alone! .. which might actually be weirder.. I think.. anyway! The idea for this story popped up when I was trying to burn a hole into my exam results at the end of last year.. it didn't work of course.. but the plot bunnies remained and I couldn't hold it in any longer.

I had to write!

Anyway.. here's the first chapter. I hope you enjoy it :)

* * *

Chapter One - Her Secret, Her Rage, Her Shock

* * *

She had really hoped that he would leave her be. But she should have known better than to expect any sort of leniency from that man.

The sound of his heavy boots striding down the corridor reached her ears, effectively rousing her from her sleep and placing her in a very sour mood. Kicking her legs out in frustration, the blonde sat up with a huff just as he reached her door and pounded his knuckles against the wood to alert her of his arrival.

"I'm coming in."

The blonde sighed and ran a hand through her messy locks as her personal guard let himself in. She really didn't understand why he bothered knocking first if he wasn't even going to wait for a reply..

"Can't I just stay in bed?" She asked, wincing slightly as the drapes were swept open and sunlight poured into the room. "It's Sunday.. and I don't have anything planned.."

"Your Grandmother will be arriving at the palace within the hour and your parents expect you all to be present."

"Can't you just tell them that I'm sick?" The girl pleaded. "It's not like anything bad will happen if I'm not there..!"

Her guard stopped at the foot of her bed and folded his arms across his chest. He looked her over from her mop of bed hair to her feet that were poking out from beneath the covers. And once he finished his examination, he locked eyes with the hopeful Princess and gave her a flat out 'No'.

"Aw come on!" She whined. "I'm still tired!"

"And what exactly were you doing so late at night that made you this _tired_ in the first place?" He asked, raising a brow. "Did you sneak out of the palace without my knowledge?"

"No!"

"Were you reading all night?"

"You know that i can't stand books!"

"Were you assisting the maids with their chores?"

"As if!"

"Late night walk?"

"No!"

"Secret rendezvous with the stable boy?"

"Ew! Why would you even suggest that?!"

"Hmm.. then I see no reason for you to be so exhausted since I escorted you back here early enough lastnight."

"I order you to leave me at once!" She pointed a finger at him and then at the door. "Away with you!"

Her words fell on deaf ears though, and before she could protest any further, her covers were violently ripped away despite her efforts to keep them on, causing her to screech and fall off the side of the bed with a loud thud.

The three maids that had entered with him gasped and attempted to rush to her side but one look from her guard and they were nervously backing away.

"Sorry brat, but I only take orders from the king."

"How many times have I told you not to call me a brat?!" She growled from her position on the floor. "I'm the Princess! Show me some respect!"

"You'll get my respect once you've earned it and not a moment sooner." He replied, completely unperturbed by the girls temper, and proceeded to toss the bedding at her head. "Now hurry up and get ready or we'll be late."

"I am-"

"The Princess of Fiore. Yes. I'm aware of that." He cut in sounding less impressed by the second. "I'll wait for you out in the hall. You have 9 minutes and if you aren't out by the 10th then I'll just drag you to the front doors as you are. Understood?"

The blonde considered defying his command for exactly 2.5 seconds before wimpering in defeat and slowly getting up to do as she was told. The last time she hadn't taken his word seriously, she had ended up being the laughing stock of the entire palace guard for a week. And that was one humiliating nightmare that she was in no hurry to experience ever again..

"Go." She said to the maids as she stomped past them. "I don't need help.."

The ladies didnt need to be told twice and bowed before quickly shuffling out of the room. Their Princess's temper was no joke, so the servants made sure to keep a safe distance from the irate blonde, and only tended to her when they had absolutely no choice but to.

Heaving a deep sigh, the Princess quickly walked out of her bathroom once she was satisfied with her appearance and walked over to the floor length mirror that stood proudly on the opposite side of the room.

This mirror was her most prized possession.

Her mother had said that it was a very special part of their family having been handed down to the eldest Heartfilia daughter from one generation to the next.

And now it was hers.

Gazing into the beautifully crafted antique always brought her a sense of peace..

"Good morning.." She said in a much softer tone as she stared at the image reflected back at her. "Let's have a good day today.."

"I knew you'd be staring at yourself again.. honestly _Princess._ I think that it's time we find you a more productive hobby."

Ashley glared at the pinkettes face when it appeared in the mirror behind her, and spun around to face him with annoyance written all over her face.

"Yes well no-one asked you did they?!" She all but screamed. "And it's none of your business what I enjoy doing either!"

Natsu glanced at the mirror for a brief second before refocusing on his charge.

"You're turning 19 in a couple of days and you're still so vain."

"Infidel!" She snapped. "I should have your tongue ripped out and fed to my dogs!"

"You don't have the guts to even try." He stated calmly. "And you don't own dogs either."

Ashley's face reddened and inwardly cursed at him.

It was futile to challenge his word so she didn't even bother.

It was the truth after all.

There were three reasons why she always let him get away with being so rude to her.

1: Her father was quite fond of him since he came highly recommended by a good friend.

2: Her father forbade her from trying to scare him off like she did with all the others since he proved himself worthy of the task of handling her and her bad attitude.

And 3: His aura was so dark and intimidating that most times, she felt like she was being suffocated. So she always tried not to make him angry just in case he flipped out and tore her head off.

'Tried' being the key word of course. It was just so hard! Especially when he called her names like 'brat' or 'ugly'.

"Whatever.." She huffed indignantly. "Let's just go already."

Natsu twisted his head to get the kinks out of his neck as he watched her retreating figure in the mirror and scoffed.

The eldest Princess was by far the most difficult charge he's ever been assigned to. But he loved challenges and this one was no different. That and the pay he received was amazing. He needed to remember to thank the old man for his recommendation.

Just as he turned to follow after her, something shifted beside him causing him to jump slightly and spin around to find the source. But there was nothing.

Narrowing his eyes he scanned the room suspiciously.

He could've sworn he saw something move..

"What's taking you so long, Dragneel?!" Ashley screamed from out in the corridor. "We have to move!"

He gave the room one more look before shaking his head and making a mental note to have the room checked for rats.

* * *

"About time you got here." The Prince yawned as Ashley took her place beside him. "Stay up late staring at yourself again huh?"

"Shut it." She hissed back. "It's none of your damn business!"

Natsu sighed as he took his place behind Ashley and gave the small Princess a curt nod when she glanced back at him and waved. He had seriously wanted to avoid being the last to arrive. But the gods had never been on his side so he should have known not to expect anything other than the exact opposite of what he wanted.

One of the two females amongst the personal guard made a sound of disapproval and opened her mouth to reprimand him for almost being late. But before she could, Natsu crossed his arms over his chest and spoke before she had the chance.

"Get off my back, Scarlet. I'm not in the mood for one of your lectures."

Ashley glanced back at the redhead who was in charge of protecting her little sister and had to bite her lip to keep from saying something that would most likely land her in hot water.

"Goodmorning, Ashley dear." Layla greeted warmly. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept fine." She responded, turning her attention to the fast approaching carriage her Grandmother was on. "Nice to know you care enough to ask."

"Don't be so rude!" Her brother growled. "She is your mother! the one who gave you life!"

"Funny.. I didn't realize I have a mother." Ashley mused, causing all those around her to feel quite uncomfortable. Except for her guard anyway. "Did you? Natsu?"

"Your Grandmother's carriage has arrived. Princess." Came his swift reply.

"Ahh so it has!" She beamed and began making her way down the stairs only to pause halfway. "Oh.. and she didn't give me life.. God did."

"Why that little-"

"Leave it alone, my son." Layla sighed as she reached a hand out to stop him from running after her and making things worse. "It's alright.."

"No its not!"

"Mother? May we go and greet Grandmother now?"

Layla smiled fondly down at her youngest child and inclined her head.

"Shall we?" She then linked arms with the annoyed Prince and together the three descended the stairwell.

The 4 guards remained in their places as the rest of the family moved forward to greet the old woman and as soon as they were out of ear shot, The Prince's guard, a tall, quiet man named Jellal - sighed and shook his head.

"The Princess sure knows how to set the mood."

"She seems quite upset this morning." The Queen's gaurd observed thoughtfully. "Did the two of you have a fight?"

"I don't fight with children." Natsu scoffed. "She's being difficult because I wouldn't let her sleep in."

"You speak as though you are so much older than her." Erza chuckled. "Aren't you also still a child?"

"Isn't the King supposed to be here as well?" Jellal asked to avoid any further squabbles. "Did he leave for the Alvarez Empire already?"

"Yes." Mira answered. "I believe he left after dinner last night."

Natsu tuned out the rest of their conversation and focused on the blonde slowly making her way back up the stairs behind her family.

He had no interest in talking about things that had nothing to do with him.

The only thing he wanted to worry about was doing a good job in keeping the brat safe and getting paid for it.

Nothing else mattered to him.

* * *

"Don't you want to join the others outside?"

She could see them from her window. Her so called family, laughing and having a good time without her.

They were celebrating her Grandmother's safe arrival with a feast and a bonfire.

She really hated celebrations..

"Nobodies supposed to know this, not even my siblings and I.. But I overhead my parents talking about it once when I was younger."

Natsu inwardly sighed and lent back against the wall.

"I was born a twin.. but I'm the only one who survived the birth."

Now that was something he hadn't expected to hear.

"I guess that's why it's hard for them to look at me.. and why they keep it a secret.."

"That would explain a few things." He said cautiously.

"Yeah.."

"Your birthdays soon." Natsu said, wanting desperately to change the subject. "What is it you normally do to celebrate?"

The blonde fell silent and Natsu could practically see the dark cloud hovering above her head spark with thunder and lightning before pouring rain down on her.

Great. He must have made her feel worse.. so much for trying to divert them away from the path of depression..

"I'd rather not talk about that thanks." Ashley sighed. "You'll find out soon enough anyway.. and I'd like to go to sleep now..."

Natsu pondered briefly whether or not he should leave her like this. But then he remembered that he didn't have the luxury to worry about other people's problems.

He had his own issues to deal with..

So with his mind made up, the pinkette bowed and excused himself.

"Then I'll see you in the morning."

Ashley waved him off and waited for the sound of her door to close before making her way over to her mirror and sinking to the floor in front of it. She pulled her knees up to her chest and stared longingly into the glass.

She really despised this place..

* * *

"Good to see you're already up and ready." Natsu said as he entered the room. "Shall we head down to breakfast then?"

Ashley didn't bother turning around to face him, nor did she give him an answer. She simply remained standing by the window and watched as the day slowly became brighter.

Natsu frowned at being ignored and crossed his arms.

"Well? Are you going to move on your own? Or do I need to carry you out like last time?"

"Just wait." She replied. "The King should be arriving any minute now."

Understanding dawned on Natsu's face so he nodded and stepped to the side.

"I see.. what a kind father."

The sheer innocence of his comment made her snort and laugh to the point of tears, which caught him off guard.

"Yes.." She laughed, dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve. "Very kind indeed.."

Natsu frowned. He wasn't trying to be funny.. so why the hysterics..?

His answer came moments later when a knock sounded at the door and the voice of the Kings guard announced his presence.

Ashley took a deep breath to calm herself and spun around just as the doors opened revealing the two men.

For some reason she had hoped that this year would be different.

What a joke.

She really needed to stop dreaming..

"I'm glad to see you are well." The King said as he stepped into the room. "And I'm sure I don't need to remind you of your duty this day?"

"I've been given the same order ever since I was kid." Ashley answered with a snort and bitterness evident in her tone. "How could I possibly forget?"

"Good." The King nodded before turning to face Natsu. "She is not to leave this room until further notice. See to it that she stays put."

If Natsu was surprised by the strange command then he didn't show it. He simply bowed to the old man without speaking a word and watched as he turned to leave.

"Very good... then I shall see you again."

Ashley waited until the door closed behind her father before striding into her bathroom and slamming the door.

Leaving Natsu alone in the bedroom feeling slightly awkward.

Normally he would try to keep his distance from whomever he was assigned to watch over, but he couldn't seem to ignore the unfair way she was being treated.

He didn't understand the pain of loosing a child, but he understood what it felt like to be neglected and treated differently because of something that you had no control over.. so with that in mind, he decided to do something to cheer her up.

His face settled into a frown when he heard the unmistakable sound of the Princess trying to stifle her sadness, which only solidified his decision.

"I'll be back shortly." He called out as he made his way to the door. "Be a good girl and don't go anywhere."

And with that he left.

* * *

Ashley's eyes fluttered open and a deep sigh escaped her once she realized that she had fallen asleep on the bathroom floor again.

Just like last year..

"God.. I'm so pathetic.." She sighed, and winced from the ache in her neck. "I wonder where Natsu went.."

As if hearing her say his name, Natsu's voice called out to her from her bedroom, telling her to hurry up and get out.

Rolling her eyes, the Princess quickly washed her face and swung open the bathroom door with her mouth open and ready to yell at him for having the audacity to boss her around.

But her words died at the tip of her tongue and her eyes widened considerably as she took in the balloons and streamers scattered all around the room. There was a banner hanging along the wall from one side to the other that said 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BRAT!', and beneath it was a table filled with gifts and food.. and a birthday cake.

"Don't expect me to sing to you." Natsu said as he walked over to where the cake was and lit the candles. "But I will congratulate you."

Ashley turned her wide eyes onto her guard of whom had walked up to her and lifted her hand.

"Happy birthday, your highness." He said smoothly before bowing over her hand and placing a light kiss to her knuckles. "May you be blessed with happiness and good fortune on all your days to come."

Ashley's face flared up in embarrassment but she was still too tongue tied to say anything, so she just continued staring blankly at him.

Natsu straightened, took one look at her face and snorted in amusement.

"Come on, Princess." He coaxed gently, and placed a hand on her back to push her forward. "Time to make a wish."

Ashley stumbled forward almost falling flat on her face but she caught herself just in time and stared down at the flickering flames with absolute wonder.

Who knew he would do something so.. sweet? It was definitely a lovely surprise.

Her mouth stretched into an overwhelmed smile and as a tear slipped out from the corner of her eyes, she bent forward and blew out the candles.

* * *

He should have known better than to introduce alcohol to the small party they had but in his opinion, a celebration wasn't truly celebrated without getting a little tipsy.

Besides, he wanted her to forget about her issues even if it was just for a little while.

Now however, he wished he hadn't and simply sent her to bed after they had dinner.

"Damn it." He cursed under his breath as he marched down the dimly lit corridor. "I hope I find her before she does anything stupid.."

They had been enjoying a quiet drink together, with her confiding in him about all her sorrows and him half listening whilst thinking about his own.

And then came the need for a toilet break.

He hadn't left her alone long, and he hadn't thought that she'd take off once she left his sight.

So it took a few moments of shocked silence for his current situation to sink in and once it had, he was spewing expletives and rushing out the door.

* * *

She should have said no.

But the play was already in motion and the fuzzy haze she was feeling wouldn't allow her to stop it.

She felt slightly guilty for ditching Natsu and she knew he was bound to be searching for her. But she also knew that if she didn't take this opportunity now, then she wouldn't be able to find the courage to speak up again.

So she rushed down the hallways that lead to her parents chambers as fast as her inebriated state would allow, and didn't slow down until she reached the large mahogany doors.

Clenching her trembling fists, the blonde inhaled deeply and after giving herself a quick pep talk, she reached out a hand and closed her fingers tightly around the door handle.

"HOW COULD YOU?!"

The sudden scream made her snatch her hand back and jump away from the door in fright.

"YOU SELFISH GIRL! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"

Her Grandmother's voice pierced though the darkness and made her swallow nervously but she couldn't bring herself to leave, and took a tentative step closer to the door.

"Easy.." She whispered to herself as she slowly and quietly opened the door just wide enough for their words to become more clear. "Perfect.."

"I couldn't do it!" Layla sobbed. "I'm not like the rest of you! I don't believe in-"

"You have sentenced everyone around her to death!"

"You don't know that! How could you expect me to-"

"Open your eyes girl! I AM SPEAKING THE TRUTH!"

"No!"

"I didn't find it strange that you kept your distance from Ashley considering... I thought it was the guilt eating away at you.."

"Mother! Please try to understand! How could I possibly do such a thing to my own child?!"

"IT IS A BURDEN WE MUST ALL LIVE WITH YOU INSOLENT CHILD! YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO-"

"THEY WERE ALL CRAZY!"

"YOU SHOULD HAVE BURNED HER THE MOMENT SHE WAS BORN LIKE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO!"

"NO!"

Ashley's eyes widened and she choked on a sob as her Grandmother's words met her ears.

Her sweet.. loving Grandmother...

wanted..

her dead...?

She was about to collapse to the floor and bawl her eyes out when suddenly her wrist was grabbed and she was yanked away from the door.

"Time to leave." Natsu hissed when her shocked eyes met his. "Now!"

Ashley nodded and allowed him to drag her away. She didnt want to hear anymore. But the door was still open so she managed to catch more of the conversation, and the words she heard before they turned the corner sent her mind reeling with shock.

And then the world around her fell into darkness.

 _TBC In Chapter Two: You, In The Looking Glass ~_

* * *

 **A/N~** Edo-Lucy is one of my fave characters so I wanted to incorporate her into my story. I hope you liked it so far. I'm sure there will be questions so feel free to ask in a PM or review. Details about the story such as the plot etc will be answered as the chapters progress so please keep this in mind :)

Now there's one thing I hope you can help me with. The reason why I didn't name the Prince is because I have no idea who I want to use x_x So this very troubled writer asks humbly for assistance! Should I use an existing character or create my own? Please let me know :) I'll take all your suggestions or thoughts into deep consideration! ^^

Thanks again for giving this story a chance! And that's all from me for now so I'll peace out ~


End file.
